Impervious Substance
by RinsDarkMagician
Summary: Yuko told Watanuki that he is impervious, not strong. What's the difference between the two? That is what Watanuki needs to find out.


**I wrote this really late at night so it's not that good. In fact I would go out on a limb and say it's really about nothing haha. I just heard a line in a TV show and I really liked it so I wanted to use it in a story. I'm not sure I made it work right...**

**Well, it's not one of my better stories but I decided to go ahead and upload it ^_^ I'm not sure I understand exactly what I wrote...it might not make sense to anyone! Hopefully it's better than I think it is...  
**

Watanuki hated to rely on Doumeki so much. He did it without meaning to! Often times Watanuki would find himself in an impossible situation with no way out and Doumeki would be the one to come and save the day. Oh, how he hated Doumeki for that.

As if Doumeki didn't already make his life miserable, he had to go and show off how amazing he was by rescuing the lanky boy over and over and over. It simply wasn't fair. Watanuki was the one who saw the spirits, not Doumeki. Watanuki should be the one to destroy them or get rid of them.

He started to think that maybe that was their place in life. Watanuki attracted the spirits and Doumeki defeated them. Maybe that was the way things were just supposed to be.

He talked to Yuko about it. He wanted to know why it seemed so impossible for him to handle the creatures that tormented him day in and day out. He wanted to know why Doumeki had the capabilities of defeating these creatures without even being able to see them.

"No matter what happens Doumeki will always come when you need him," Yuko said to him. "He is strong. His strength is what defeats the spirits that trouble you. And even though it seems that you get hurt you are actually quite impervious to spirits."

"Impervious?" Watanuki asked.

Yuko nodded and smiled. "Do you know the difference between something that is impervious and something that is strong?"

Watanuki just stared at her, knowing that even if he answered her she would tell him that he did not understand what she was saying.

"Because of your imperviousness you can never be strong. Until you learn the difference between the two and seek to be strong, you will always simply be an impervious substance."

Watanuki went home that night, tossing Yuko's words around in his head.

"I'm an impervious substance? Isn't that a good thing? It means that the spirits can't truly hurt me, right? If someone is strong then they can still get hurt. If I'm impervious then I can't be hurt."

Watanuki only succeeded in confusing himself. He hated when Yuko spoke in riddles. He was never able to figure out what she was trying to tell him. It always took him a long time to understand what she meant when she said something.

While he was contemplating this he felt the presence of a spirit behind him. He turned around to look at it, not affected by its hideousness. He almost felt bad that something so disgusting didn't affect him.

"I'm impervious to you." He said to it.

The demon just laughed at him and wrapped his ghostly self around Watanuki's body. Watanuki just stood still thinking about what Yuko had told him.

"Oh, I think I see now." He said in a low voice. He slowly looked at the demon embracing his body. "I'm impervious to you…not strong against you."

The demon laughed again, ignoring the words coming from Watanuki as he relished in the taste of seer. Watanuki was so delicious to demons. They couldn't get enough of him.

Watanuki took a deep breath, preparing to try his hardest to get this demon away from him and out of his home.

"Perhaps being impervious isn't such a good thing after all."

The next day at school had begun and ended. It had been a normal day with Watanuki yelling at Doumeki for eating so obnoxiously in front of Himawari, Watanuki swooning over Himawari, and Watanuki getting beat at soccer (yet again) by Doumeki.

However, the day ended on a different note than Doumeki expected. He had been walking with Himawari and Watanuki after school when Watanuki said the most unexpected thing.

"Himawari, I hate to do this really, but I was wondering if I could have a moment alone with Doumeki? I need to talk to him in private."

Himawari gave her typical smile and nodded. "Of course, Watanuki. It's not a problem!"

"Please forgive me, Himawari! I promise I'll make it up to you! I'll make your favorite dish tomorrow! I'll make anything you ask me to! Just ask and it will be done!" Watanuki cried, desperate to show Himawari how sorry and upset he was for having to make such an unreasonable request of her.

"Really, Watanuki, it's not a problem. We're right at my house anyway. You two have fun! I'll see you guys later!" She ran off in the opposite direction.

"Bye, Himawari!" Watanuki called out to her as she left.

When she was out of his sight Watanuki sighed and turned to face Doumeki.

"I would take us to the park, but I have to be at work soon. I just wanted to get something off my chest."

Doumeki raised his eyebrow. Watanuki didn't seem like he was angry so he wasn't expecting to get yelled at. He figured it must have been extremely serious if Watanuki actually sent Himawari away just to talk to him.

"Do you know the difference between something that is impervious and something that is strong?" Watanuki asked.

Doumeki just stared at him for a moment. What kind of question was that? "Something that is impervious has natural defenses against something. Something that is strong has to build up it's defense but it also has the ability to fight back if need be."

"Do you think that something that is impervious wouldn't be able to fight back?"

"Why would it need to? It can't be hurt so it has no need to know how to fight. It will remain completely safe from whatever is trying to penetrate or hurt it."

Watanuki nodded. He looked at the ground, for some reason unable to look Doumeki in the eye. He gave a cold laugh and shook his head.

"I…am an impervious substance." Watanuki said. "However, my defenses aren't perfect. I have built up a rather good defense against weaker demons, but stronger demons can hurt or even kill me. Still, I am impervious…or at least I was."

Doumeki remained quiet, waiting for Watanuki to look at him and continue speaking.

"I'm strong now, Doumeki." Watanuki told him. He still looked at the ground, refusing to look the archer in the eye. "When I was impervious, demons would follow me and attach themselves to me. I couldn't fend them off. I just accepted it, knowing that if they were weak enough they would eventually go away. I would run if I thought they were too strong. I'm strong now though! Now, I can fend them off so they won't keep coming back."

A smirk made its way onto Doumeki's face. He never once thought that Watanuki wasn't strong. Anyone who could live with those demons everyday and not complain and keep smiling was strong to him. He also understood that living with those demons would exhaust anyone. Watanuki had no need to be strong. Not when he had people around him who were strong.

"You don't need to be strong," Doumeki told him. That certainly got Watanuki's attention. His face shot up, his eyes wide with confusion and what seemed like hurt. Doumeki stared back at him, his face as emotionless as ever.

"Even if you are strong I'll still protect you. Those demons wear you out. I can see that you're tired. When it comes time for you to be strong you'll probably be so tired you won't be able to stand. That's where I come in. I'm strong and I'll use that strength to protect you."

Watanuki blinked and looked at the ground again. Doumeki was right. Watanuki simply didn't have the resources to be strong. That meant…he would always be impervious.

"No!" Watanuki cried. "No, I don't want to just be impervious! They'll keep coming after me and you'll have to keep saving me. I just want to make them all go away! I want to be strong!"

"Do you think that there is only one type of strength?"

Watanuki looked at Doumeki. He felt like he was on the verge of crying. Doumeki had turned his back to him, making Watanuki feel all the more foolish.

"You are strong in a different way than most people. You deal with hellish demons everyday and I never hear a word of complaint from you. Also, strength can fail a person. I may not always be able to save you. I know that if the time comes when I need rescuing you'll be there. It's times like those when you'll be grateful for your imperviousness. Being impervious doesn't have to mean being useless or pathetic. You'll realize your strengths soon enough, Watanuki. Until then, let me keep protecting you."

Doumeki began walking away, signaling the end of the conversation. Watanuki would have to figure out on his own what his strengths are. Doumeki had no idea if he could fight or not and it really didn't matter to him. His strengths may lie elsewhere and that was fine with him. He didn't feel a need to stop being Watanuki's protector. Watanuki was stuck with him whether he liked it or not. Doumeki was the one thing that Watanuki was not impervious to.

**So what did you think? Did it make any sense cause after I reread it a few times it seemed to not make sense haha. I knew what I wanted in my mind but I couldn't get it down on paper (or computer). So...what did you think?**


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